Nottinghamshire mum reliving death of baby daughter as grave smashed to pieces

A Nottinghamshire mum feels she has returned to the day her baby daughter died after her grave was destroyed in a "callous and cruel" act of vandalism. Laura Griffin lost her daughter Poppy on January 21, 2014, after she was born extremely prematurely at just 26 weeks and six days.

Mrs Griffin worked long hours whilst pregnant with her second child to pay for Poppy's grave at the Sutton Cemetery on Huthwaite Road, which featured Disney-style engraving and a teddy bear hugging the headstone. The 30-year-old mum, who has three other children, was therefore devastated to find out on Thursday (November 14) that Poppy's headstone had been completely destroyed.

The teddy bear has been completely shattered and some of the writing is now totally illegible, with the whole headstone described as beyond repair. Mrs Griffin says the vandalism appears to have been done "with intent" given the effort it would have taken to lift and then drop the headstone, with the smashing of the stone having reportedly left a mark on the path going through the cemetery.

The incident follows years of reported incidents at the cemetery, managed by Ashfield District Council, including the theft of ornaments and decorations around graves. Mrs Griffin said: "This has always been my worst fear and now it's come true.

"When I was pregnant with my second child, I was working all hours to pay for this headstone. I did it all myself, I didn't ask for a penny from anyone, and I was really proud that I'd done that for Poppy.

"In seconds, that's now been destroyed. Christmas is coming up and Poppy's birthday and there's going to be nothing there for me to go to this year, it's back to just being mud like it was when we first laid her to rest."

Another one of those affected by incidents at the Sutton Cemetery has been 47-year-old Lisa Angell, who lost her daughter Alysha in 2005 when she was just three days old due to multiple organ failure. Alysha ended up being exhumed for cremation and is now buried at home.

Ms Angell said: "I am absolutely devastated. Problems at this site have been ongoing for several years, but never to this extent."

Asked whether she would be keeping Poppy at the Sutton Cemetery following the destruction of her headstone, Mrs Griffin says she has not made a final decision yet. "I'm up and down with my emotions at the moment, one minute I'm angry and then I'm upset", Mrs Griffin said.

"It feels as though she has been violated and I've gone back to the day when I lost her." The initial headstone for Poppy cost over £1,000 and it is now thought that getting an identical replacement would cost at least £2,500, with a public fundraiser having been set up to support Mrs Griffin.

The Kirkby resident added: "I've been so overwhelmed by the generosity and how everybody has come together. When I'm settled I really want to thank every single person who has donated properly because I'm so grateful."

Lee Anderson, the Reform UK MP for Ashfield, has written to Nottinghamshire Police and Ashfield District Council about the incident. The MP said: "It's disgraceful that these issues at this children's cemetery have been ongoing for years, and yet Ashfield District Council have still not resolved these issues.

"Nobody should have to bury their children, but those that do at the very least just want their resting place to be a respected, safe and beautiful environment. I am once again calling out Ashfield District Council to listen to the families of the children buried here and resolved the issues."

Charles Edwards, executive director for operations at Ashfield District Council, said: "The incident at Sutton Cemetery is heartbreaking and we are working closely with the family to support them. Over the past four years significant investment has been made to that area by working with local families to improve the space where their loved ones are laid to rest.

"CCTV has been introduced in the area to deter this kind of behaviour and we are continually looking at ways to further improve the site. We would welcome the MP's intervention with the police to carry out more patrols across Ashfield in a wider sense and stopping those vandals who mindlessly cause such havoc and upset.

"In the meantime, we have arranged for our Community Protection Officers to increase their patrols at the cemetery over the next few days as a precaution. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated, and any individuals identified who are involved in such behaviour will be prosecuted."

Inspector Chris Boylin, neighbourhood policing inspector for Ashfield, added: "We received a report of vandalism to a baby memorial at Sutton Cemetery in Sutton in Ashfield, which is believed to have happened between 4pm on Wednesday November 13 and 8am on Thursday November 14. This was a particularly callous and cruel act and inquiries to trace those involved are ongoing."

Anyone with any information that could help Nottinghamshire Police with its investigation is asked to call the force on 101, quoting crime reference 24*680044. Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.